Chad and Mikey Talk 40 Year Acoustic Sounds Warner Record Series and Almost 40 Years Knowing Each Other

there are some guaranteed laughs too!

Acoustic Sounds today (January 15th, 2026) announced its new 40th Anniversary 45rpm Warner Records series so Chad Kassem and I Zoom called about it and about much, much more. We go back to the mid 1980s and had a lot to talk about generally, and specifically about the new series as well as the recent Atlantic 75th anniversary series.

We also talked about the upcoming October 16th weekend "Vinyl Summit" at Chad's Salina, Kansas headquarters, open to the public and featuring a who's who of the record production business as well as musicians who will perform at Blue Heaven Studios. You're sure to enjoy at least part if not all of the conversation. Lots of laughs too.

Comments

2026-01-15 10:23:38 PM

Todd wrote:

Great pic. Cool that you guys have so much history.
2026-01-16 03:39:31 PM

Heidi E. wrote:

I used to see Chad's classified ads in the back of Audio and Stereo Review in the eighties. I lived about an hour from Salina and drove down and sold him a bunch of classical and jazz records. From back then to his present empire is incredible. I appreciate the dude employing what has to be quite a lot of my fellow Kansans, from warehouse workers to graphic artists and pressmen and more. Happy 40th, Chad!
2026-01-16 05:12:04 PM

Rob wrote:

Great talk! I really loved MIkey's comments about physical media and memories- I'm 60ish, predominantly listen to physical media, never gave up my LPs during the 90s and early 00's- just started buying more when they were initially disappearing- and my LPs (and cds and now even SACDs) have memories for me; and I'd never considered how someone streaming music selections wouldn't necessarily make the same level of emotional connections over time to their history with the works (which is not to say none - I still have emotional connections to certain songs I'd hear on the school bus in the '70s, for example- but often at a lesser level).
2026-01-16 05:42:22 PM

Come on wrote:

I remember and still have my first of Chad’s audiophile releases. These were the early Doug Sax remastered classical and jazz AP. Before that there of course was Chesky and Sheffield Lab and probably some others, but Chad had the most continuous breath and biggest output over the years. He at any time since he started AP had either the best or among the best releases in terms of sound quality and music - quite an achievement.

Happy 40th Chad! I’m continuously buying your records since more than 30 years for good reason.
2026-01-16 08:16:13 PM

Steve wrote:

I was an early customer of A.S., back when Chad occassionally answered the phone. I remember negotiating with him over a pricce for two used MFSL Beatles albums ( White album and Sgt. Pepper). I also remember a day when I was placing an order and he asked me if he were to reissue old LP albums in a high quality format might I, as a steady customer, be interested in purchasing them (assuming that they appealed to my interests in music). He was probably surveying many of his steady customers in order to ascertain if there was a market for this venture. Remember this was in the middle of the CD era and the demise of LP's, therefore a rather risky business model on his part. Certainly looks like there was a market!
2026-01-16 09:12:56 PM

Joe Ferson wrote:

When, when is the Tracking Angle podcast launching? Everyone has a podcast, except for the one guy who could crush all the competitors.
- 2026-01-17 04:42:08 AM
  
  Come on wrote:
  
  Oh I mostly already don’t have the patience to watch videos which not rarely last an hour or longer for a minimum of relevant information. NotebookLM is a great service to summarize videos or podcasts into a short text, podcast or more detailed presentation…and it works much better than expected!
  
  As a fan of (more effective) text, I’d rather vote for a forum. But such endeavors can certainly end in massacres, given that the topics vinyl and expensive high end combined, beat politics by quite a margin in terms of getting out of control potential.
  
  In my perception many videos (unless reporting from HiFi shows or manufacturer visits) are more or less camera supported podcasts anyway.
- 2026-01-18 06:24:51 PM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  I really should....and thank you.
2026-01-17 12:24:01 PM

Mr. Audio wrote:

I started buying Mobile Fidelity records from Chad when he was still in his little apartment. So I go way back to the beginning...
2026-01-18 04:05:47 PM

Lemon Curry wrote:

You and Chad having a close relationship can only result in better products. Very cool.